Blog

I feel more alive this year. There is a new bounce in my step, and I find myself smiling at smaller things that used to go unnoticed. I feel like something has clicked over, a dial has been turned inside me and the world looks brighter. The little voice inside me is telling me that this is MY year. 2008 is going to be great! I am going to be unstoppable!

I was walking around in Planet Organic yesterday, a local organic food market that I like to shop at, thinking much the same as above… Finding happiness, being alive, feeling alive… when a girl that works at the store came up to me and said, “Do you have a copy of this yet?” She placed a magazine in my hands and I said thank you (rather absentmindedly) before looking at it. As she walked away with a certain bouncy step of her own, I glanced down at the cover to read the word, “Alive”… A magazine I have not seen before. ‘Canada’s Natural Health and Wellness Magazine’. A smile graced my face as I found the humour in being handed a magazine with the name of the exact word that I had been thinking about.

I am not one for reading magazines. I usually stick to too-thick books that I can escape in, but this one seemed interesting and I’m glad I cracked the cover when I got home, because there were a number of great articles in it, a couple of which were on tea. One article titled, “Tea for Two… Polyphenols” talked about black tea and it’s effects on cavities. The article briefly discussed the findings of a study on black tea that concluded that the catechins and theaflavins (polyphenols) found in tea can help prevent cavities. It also talked about tea being a natural source of fluoride, and that the fluoride found in tea leaves is “comparable to government recommended fluoride levels for drinking water.” According to this research (done by three different universities), the older the tea leaves, the more fluoride they contain. So, white tea, which is harvested from buds and young tea leaves contain less fluoride than black, green, or oolong tea. The article also mentioned that while drinking tea to prevent cavities, the tea should be consumed plain, without milk or sweeteners. This reminded me of earlier studies on the effect that the addition of milk has on black tea. (For more information about this milk study, read my entry from Dec 2007 “Got Milk?”)

Another great article in the January “Alive” Magazine is titled, “Your New Beau-tea Secret… Green tea isn’t just for drinking anymore.” The article outlines how the use of green tea for beauty as well as health, is increasing. “Green tea is best known as a healthy drink, a wise alternative to coffee, and a superb choice for the daily dieter. You know it as a ‘power tea’. What you may not know, however, is that green tea can be an effective beauty product, whether applied directly to the skin, or enjoyed as a delicious drink. Clinical evidence has proven that green tea is full of health and beauty benefits. Consider green tea as your secret beauty weapon.”

I will admit that I haven’t experimented with green tea as a beauty aid. Part of that is because I’m rushing from one thing to another most of the time and I don’t have very much spare time to try out these things, the other reason is that I’m a rather “Plain Jane” kinda girl and don’t give much consideration to beauty products at all. This article DID get me thinking about it though… I HAVE used green tea compresses on my sunburned skin before, for fast relief, and if that works, then I’m sure it can benefit the skin in other ways as well.

For a green tea mask that you can make at home for the adventurous type out there, the article says to mix 3 tbsp of mayonnaise and 1 heaping tbsp of green tea leaves. After mixing and applying to the face for 20 minutes, you rinse this off. I think I prefer to DRINK my green tea, BUT, I might try this out myself, just to satisfy my curiosity. If anyone out there tries this, please do let me know how it goes!

Happy New Year to Everyone! Make 2008 YOUR year too! Smile more, do things you love, and walk with your chin up!

To visit the Planet Organic Market website, to find locations, recipes, information about organic food, information and tools for healthy and natural living, as well as sustainability and latest news, click on the picture below:

For the Alive Magazine website click on the picture below: